Sleep Tip of the Week

From birth, we spend a third of our lives asleep. After decades of research, we’re still not sure why.
Source: National Geographic

Sleep deprivation can sabotage your health and happiness in many ways. Experts agree that most adults need somewhere between seven and nine hours per night to feel and perform at one’s best.

The ability to make quick decisions is significantly diminished when sleep-deprived.

Researchers studied two groups of West Point cadets, sleep-deprived and 28 well-rested, and tested them on tasks that require quick decisions. Each group performed the tasks twice, separated by a 24-hour period.

Cadets who were sleep-deprived between testing periods saw their accuracy decline by 2.4 percent, and cadets who were well-rested between testing periods improved by 4.3 percent.

The study tested the type of thinking required in many driving and workplace situations. In the cadets’ case, soldiers need to make split-second decisions on whether a potential target is an enemy soldier, a civilian or one of their own.

Source: NSF

Why do we sleep? Recent evidence bolsters the theory that sleep plays a role in consolidating memories. Research subjects who heard sounds during sleep were better able to identify the objects that made the sounds than they were at identifying other objects that did not make sounds.

Researchers presented 25 sounds — from a teakettle whistle to a cat’s meow — to study participants as they slept and then conducted memory tests on the participants to see if they could match the sounds to a correct object. Researchers concluded that sleep is an important time for consolidating memories.

Source: NSF

Sleepwalking Is Common In Children. Usually They Grow Out Of It

Sleepwalking, formally known as somnambulism, is a behavior disorder that originates during deep sleep and results in walking or performing other complex behaviors while asleep. About 17 percent of children have a sleepwalking experience between the ages of four and 12.

Doctors don’t consider sleepwalking a serious medical problem because most kids outgrow it. They advise parents to monitor it, but let it run its course, unless they are headed out the front door.

Sleepwalking can be more dangerous among adults, primarily because they may engage in hazardous activities like crossing streets, cooking, driving. Precautionary measures should be taken to reduce the risk of injuries by adults during sleepwalking.

NSF

A sleep specialist has been trying “imagery rehearsal therapy” to help children deal with nightmares, which are fairly common in children.

The treatment involves replacing the disturbing parts of the nightmare with pleasant images and activities. Patients spend five to 20 minutes a day concentrating on imagining their new dream content. Patients who did this had fewer nightmares.

However, this procedure does not treat the causes of the nightmares.

Source: National Sleep Foundation

The National Sleep Foundation’s 2010 Sleep in America poll reveals significant differences in the sleep habits and attitudes of Asians, Blacks/African-Americans, Hispanics and Whites.  It is the first poll to examine sleep among these four ethnic groups.

 Impact of Sleepiness

 The National Sleep Foundation’s 2010 Sleep in America Poll found that 20 to 30% American adults report that their family and sex life is impacted by sleepiness or a sleep problem.

• About two in ten (24% Asians, 22% Blacks/African-Americans, 22% Hispanics and 19% Whites) report that they missed events at least one day in the past month because they were too sleepy or had a sleep problem.
• About one in five respondents (23% Whites, 20% Blacks/African-Americans, 20% Hispanics and 17% Asians) indicate that their relationships had been affected because they are too sleepy.
• Overall, more than three in ten respondents surveyed (37% Whites, 33% Hispanics, 32% Asians and 31% Blacks/African-Americans) indicate they their quality of life has been affected in some way by sleepiness.

Attitudes about the Impact of Sleepiness

• Overall, more than three-fourths of respondents in each ethnic group surveyed completely agreed/mostly agreed with the statement “insufficient or poor sleep is associated with health problems,” (83% Whites, 81% Asians, 78% Hispanics and 76% Blacks/African-Americans).
• Notably, Blacks/African-Americans (8%) and Hispanics (7%) are much more likely than Whites (2%) to completely disagree with the statement, while 4% of Asians completely disagree.
• Some differences were found in that Whites and Asians are slightly more likely than Hispanics and Blacks/African-Americans to agree that not getting enough sleep impacts or affects their:
• Job performance (72% Whites and 69% Asians vs. 61% Hispanics and 57% Blacks/African-Americans).
• Ability to carry out household duties (65% Whites and 68% Asians vs. 60% Hispanics and 56% Blacks/African-Americans).
• Ability to care for their family (56% Whites and 57% Asians vs. 51% Blacks/African-Americans and 51% Hispanics).
• Also, about six in ten Whites (62%) and Hispanics (60%) say that their relationship with family or friends is impacted or affected by a lack of sufficient sleep, while fewer Asians (56%) and Blacks/African-Americans (52%) agree.

People with insomnia have a ten-fold risk of developing depression, and a risk of dying that is similar to the risk from smoking. However, people with both depression and anxiety have a lower risk.

 Researchers at King’s College London compiled data from a survey of over 60,000 people and a comprehensive mortality database.

 The reasons for these differences between anxious and non-anxious insomniacs are not clear. Perhaps people who score low on anxiety but are depressed are less likely to get help with physical conditions, or may take more risks, leading to a higher risk of death.

 Source: NSF

Psychological, primarily stress. Don’t try to problem-solve at bedtime. Make a list and deal with it in the morning.

Lifestyle, an irregular sleep schedule can scramble your body’s sleep/wake cycle. Keep the same bedtime every night of the week. Don’t sleep in on weekends. Alcohol or caffeine in the afternoon or evening can disturb sleep, as can exercising too close to bedtime.

Medications, both over the counter and prescription. Decongestants, steroids, and medications for blood pressure, asthma, and depression can interfere with sleep.

Source: NSF

Untreated sleep apnea may cause daytime fatigue and behavioral problems at school. Children who have untreated sleep apnea may also have delayed growth and cardiovascular problems.

Children who snore loudly are twice as likely to have learning problems. They may have behavioral problems similar to ADHD — hyperactivity and difficulty paying attention — which in fact are caused by undiagnosed sleep apnea.

During the night, a child with sleep apnea may:

• Snore loudly and on a regular basis
• Have pauses, gasps, and snorts and actually stop breathing. The snorts or gasps may waken them and disrupt their sleep.
• Be restless or sleep in abnormal positions with their head in unusual positions
• Sweat heavily during sleep

 During the day, a child with sleep apnea may:

• Have behavioral, school and social problems
• Be difficult to wake up
• Have headaches during the day, but especially in the morning
• Be irritable, agitated, aggressive, and cranky
• Be so sleepy during the day that they actually fall asleep or daydream
• Speak with a nasal voice and breathe regularly through the mouth

 Source: National Sleep Foundation

Healthy adults need 7 – 9 hours of sleep every night.

Treat sleep like every other priority in your life:

• Put sleep on your to-do list.
• Set a sleep goal: X hours of sleep.
• Set bedtime based on your wake-up time minus X hours
• At that bedtime, cross sleep off your list and go to bed.

NSF